Ocean Guardianshttp://oceanguardians.com.au
Uniting the World for our OceansSun, 17 May 2015 15:41:15 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=463Artist for the Ocean ~ Bob Timmonshttp://oceanguardians.com.au/artist-for-the-ocean-bob-timmons/
http://oceanguardians.com.au/artist-for-the-ocean-bob-timmons/#commentsSun, 21 Oct 2012 03:30:18 +0000http://oceanguardians.dev/?p=1644Bob Timmons is an Endangered Marine Animal Artist & Animal Activist. The Artist for the Ocean is painting the plight of the ocean & its animals. Through his powerful awareness – art exposes stories of worldwide marine animal decline and abuse, and critical issues of ocean health. He is a fearless, vocal advocate for animals everywhere. Bob also combines the arts and sciences in his advocacy; as an environmental sciences graduate he integrates knowledge and passion in his writings, paintings, campaigns, and public outreach.

Bob took the time to share his thoughts and tells us some of what he does and why…

Where do you live and with whom?

I currently live with my wife and fur babies in Toronto – Canada.

What is your job and with which organisation?

I have a job that pays the bills and I sell my art however my real work the past 2 and a half years was being the Volunteer Ontario Regional Coordinator for Sea Shepherd and running the Toronto Chapter. I served as a Cove Guardian in Japan for two seasons in 2011 and recently I resigned my position to focus on my art and some other actions for Land & Ocean animals.

And your previous jobs? What were you doing?

Throughout my 4 years of activism I have been with many organizations as a passionate/compassionate
volunteer filled with energy and time to expose the atrocities out in the ocean. I have been the Director of
International Campaigns for Animal Rights Kollective (ARK II), a board member for Oceanic Defense,
founded Ocean Activists United – International Grassroots Action, the Ontario Regional
Coordinator for Sea Shepherd, and most recently became the Public Relations for Refuge RR for Horses and Co-founded an Anti-Captivity non-profit called Awakening Minds In Education.

This new Non-profit (AMIE) has been endorsed by Ric O’Barry of Dolphin Project and aims to reward educational institutes for not supporting animal captive entertainment industries. It is in the beginning stages however I can say we will have a program called “Positive Re-direction Program” and I feel it will take off globally!

When you were a little kid, what job did you dream of having?

When I was a child I was born on an island on the east coast of Canada called Cape Breton however at the age of 2 years old I moved to the Land-Locked Province of Ontario. Here I recall going into our local Humane Society and seeing all the animals in cages and I wanted to do something for them. I thought either a career in an animal area or just buy a farm and take them all. The animals we lived with were always the local stray cats that people abandoned and it always started off feeding them in the front door and in time they moved in and never left.

Bob Timmons is one of the people showcased in the short film touring around all the little Movie Festivals called “Missions of Mermaids”.

How did you get involved in marine conservation?

A movie called “Sharkwater” opened my eyes in 2007 regarding the shark finning inhumane issues happening out in the global oceans. It was here my natural artistic talent started me on a journey of passion and brush to research and paint the stories of our voiceless marine animals and the plight of the ocean itself. From here my painting turned to only the ocean animals while my street action was for all animals, environment, and people.

Why are you so dedicated when there seems to be so many obstacles?

Being very new still to activism regarding the ocean I have had a different type of life then the rest. I grew up having to fight to survive my neighbourhood and city. I am too well known for standing my ground even if it looks like I am going to lose. Now that energy is to fight for the voiceless and to stand my ground for them and their lives. The obstacles are imaginary walls that in 4 years I have seen many come down and as the days go on I learn more and more about how to take down the rest.

What really annoys you regarding marine conservation?

What really annoys me is that the governments of the world do not take it as an importance to the survival of their species. Living day to day and not for the future of our children. I stand for more than our own species however the reality is that the government is here to protect the people and to do this takes more than creating jobs, it takes the care of conserving the oceans, fresh water, forests, etc.

Everything is connected and everything affects the ocean in the end since its majority of the planet’s surface and subsurface.

Have you ever been criticized or harassed because of your strong beliefs?

Of course! haha! I actually enjoy it since I am fearless after the way I grew up. I consider it noise and I just blank it out. Almost all of the criticism is online and never in person LOL!

What’s the most difficult aspect of your job?

The most difficult aspect of using all of my free time for volunteering to be an advocate for animals is the reliability of support. I have created a large amount of fundraisers, protests, marches, travels all for animals and the ocean and the stress of cancellations, no=shows, and not raising much money for the cause is extremely difficult.

And the best?

The best is when you get the wins! My first campaign back in 2008 was against a company named Holista and they had a product being sold only in Canada called “100% Shark Cartilage”. Within 9 months and a large network I formed and became apart of helped educate them and shut down this product. Most recently I was apart of a handful of great people and we won a campaign we started to shutdown Atlantic City Pier from trying to bring back the Horse Diving at 40 feet in the air. So there are some great things happening.

Have you ever felt discouraged or felt like giving up?

I believe every few months I have my 3 day of rants from build up of many factors. I have realized that my meditation with my painting and yelling through a mega=phone doesn’t get all of my stress relieved.

However I do not give up and I actually feel stronger and much more clear-minded to create new thoughts of action to get around the obstacles in my way.

What is the one thing a person can do that you think can make a difference?

Well, one thing someone could do to make a difference is just research and learn about the atrocities the ocean and the planet for that matter is facing. From that one action it will create the drive of energy within to venture out and create the difference the world needs. Some ideas for the readers could be supporting an organization by volunteering, creating fund-raisers, supporting street activism, beach cleaning, speaking at schools, churches, to family. The ideas are endless.

What or who inspires you to continue your work?

I am fueled by the horrors I see from videos and in person. I am inspired by the people around me that speak about the issues intelligently like my 10 year old daughter. I watch many great leaders like Paul Watson, Ric O’Barry, Sylvia Earle to name a few on how they have survived public criticism and ridicule to still be actively fighting for what they believe in and want changed. And when we win, no matter what organization names it theirs, its a win for us all that fight for positive change.

Do you have a funny or inspirational story that you’d like to share?

I have been lucky enough to be around the ocean and see many great animals submerge from the depths however my daughter’s first time to a farm animal sanctuary was the best. We went to RR Horse Refuge in Alexandria, Ontario and here there are 700 animals that survive because of one woman and the donations she receives. Well my daughter ran around meeting all the animals and I had not seen her for a while.

Then a yell from the barn “DAD!” and I looked and she wanted me to come and meet her best friend. So I went up to the barn and she was so excited to meet this 300 pound pig named Grisley. Well Grisley was a shy guy and had took off out of the barn by the time we got back. We found him out in the field hiding behind some weeds and sitting on his bottom. My daughter walked up slowly to him and put her hand out to his nose. It was the most incredible visual since he was well over 300 pounds and she was an 8 year old 60 pound child. A photo was captured and my daughter hung out with him most of the day.

Then she met the horses that were running full tilt towards her and with no fear of these 1500 pound animals charging her she raised her hands and smiled while the horses ran their noses right into her hands. I was truly amazed. Children can teach us adults a lot if we just slow down our busy lives and minds and listen to their innocence of compassion.

If the world ends this year, as it’s supposed to, what do you hope you’ll have achieved, both personally and professionally by the end of 2012?

Haha! Well the Mayan’s calendar is said to be the end but they didn’t say how. Not sure what I hoped to have achieved by the end of the year but I do know that my actions today will not stop with the fear of the world ending. To me its a man=made fear since the world goes in cycles and I am extremely happy to be apart of such changes that only come once in approximately 5,000 years. If it ends then it was meant to be but if not then my efforts now will be even stronger by the end of the year.

“Creating Clouds” by Bob Timmons

If you were given the chance to spend a day with anyone from history, who would it be and why? What would you do together?

Becoming a painter was not in my mind until the problems of the ocean came apparent to my life. I have been a natural artist my whole life but never learned about art history in school because I would rather draw and sketch. Now I am learning about other artists and Salvador Dali’s name kept being brought up to me since people thought my paintings were similar style = Surrealism. I researched him and was extremely impressed to be compared to such greatness. He was a man that stirred up much controversy on a global scale through his art. I would have loved to meet Dali and watch him paint, listen to his rants regarding politics or just local banter. He would be an interesting person to learn how to get the message through art out to the public on an international scale.

Thank you to Ocean Guardians member Robyn Downie from Byron Bay Australia for submitting this interview!

Facebook or Twitter? Which do you prefer?

I prefer Facebook for networking and creating events to get the masses out the information needed for joining the action. However I am learning the power of Twitter which is great too!

My facebook page is linked to twitter and everyone gets to see what I post.

Alex, Founder & Director of Shark Aid UK has graciously taken the time to answer some questions about why he created Shark Aid UK and shares his thoughts about our oceans.

Share your thoughts about the fragility of the oceans and how you hope to make a difference.

Under the sea is a complex environment. Made up of reefs, coasts, continental shelves, open oceans. They are all fragile ecosystems.

Sharks are apex predators, at the top of the food chain. Without them controlling, the ocean would change. Sharks are important for the balance and health of the oceans.

Healthy oceans means healthy marine life and healthy planet! We need to take care of it!

What advice do you have to others who are challenged in their plight to save our oceans.

Your passion and enthusiasm for your cause will be vital to your campaign. Show people the importance of current situations, and how important it is to you.

Effectively, by saving the oceans we save ourselves, so letting people know this would be key to gaining more support.

Where do you live and with whom?

Shark Aid UK is based in Surrey and Kent, England.

What is your job and with which organisation?

I am the Founder & Director of Shark Aid UK

When you were a little kid, what job did you dream of having?

I dreamt of either being a fireman or a shark!

How did you get involved in marine conservation?

I have always loved the sea and everything that is in it. After visiting South Africa and diving with great white sharks, I could not longer just be a fan. I had to do something to help!

So I came back to the UK and started a petition and the Shark Aid UK Facebook page and got to work!

Why are you so dedicated when there seems to be so many obstacles?

Everyone should stand up for what the believe in. I am doing just that. They are only obstacles in the way of the goal, obstacles can be overcome.

If no one was dedicated to conservation and protection of sharks and all life for that matter. There probably wouldn’t be many animals left!

What really annoys you regarding marine conservation?

The neglect, misperception and deceiving media reputation of sharks and the state of the oceans. News channels, documentaries and websites that misinforming people rather than teaching important matters and true facts. The furthering of the public’s fears and misunderstanding of sharks… for the sake of profit and entertainment.

Have you ever been criticized or harassed because of your strong beliefs?

Yes. Not everyone will agree with your cause. Some people may feel as strongly against your cause as you feel for it. Every one is entitled to their own opinion. In this case, many people (because of Jaws) still see sharks as monsters. It’s hard to change that and people do come against us for protecting a “blood thirsty human eater”. Which they are not.

I’ve also been accused of being funded by an American Oil company! Shark Aid UK is completely independent and 100% self-funded.

What’s the most difficult aspect of your job?

When trying to get restaurants or companies to stop selling shark fin products. It is a challenge to keep cool, even when they usually get defensive and to show them the facts and statistics around the finning industry can prove difficult as they usually don’t want to hear.

And the best?

Seeing sharks in their natural and wild habitats. Learning more and more about them each day.

Have you ever felt discouraged or felt like giving up?

Never.

What is the one thing a person can do that you think can make a difference?

Action. Activity is the single most important thing. If people and organisations keep active, signing petitions, raising awareness and continuing their support for sharks this will eventually make a difference.

What or who inspires you to continue your work?

I started Shark Aid UK after diving with great whites with the amazing Mike Rutzen “Sharkman” and his company Shark Diving Unlimited.

So the initial inspiration was through them, and now the sharks inspire me to continue.

If the world ends this year, as it’s supposed to, what do you hope you’ll have achieved, both personally and professionally by the end of 2012?

I hope for the website to be up and running, for all our events and campaigns to be successful and create a lot more awareness and for Shark Aid UK to continue growing. To enable us to further our help and contribution to protect sharks in the UK, EU and worldwide.

If you were given the chance to spend a day with anyone from history, who would it be and why? What would you do together?

Peter Benchley, the writer of Jaws. With hindsight, he regretted giving birth to the ‘monster’ that sharks are believed to be. As soon as Jaws came to the cinemas in the 70’s fishermen and hunters went out hunting sharks. Meeting Peter and re-writing Jaws would show people that it’s the humans that are the killers… Not the sharks.

How can people contact you or follow what you are up to?

The Shark Aid UK social media sites are the place to go for the latest updates and news in the world of sharks. Our website is the HQ of Shark Aid UK with all our contact information and about us. Frequently using these sites will keep you up to date and constantly connected with Shark Aid UK.

From under your golf course to inside the world’s largest iceberg, Jill Heinerth is perhaps more qualified than most to comment on the state of the world’s drinking water — she spends her life diving in it.

While busily filming, editing and promoting the recently launched We Are Water campaign to raise public awareness about the earth’s water resources, Jill has graciously taken the time to share with Ocean Guardians her passion for the worlds water and her vision behind the We Are Water Project.

Jill Heinerth has dived deeper into caves than any woman in history. Through her magnificent images and award-winning filmmaking, Jill shares a glimpse of a breathtaking world few will experience. During a 20-year career the underwater explorer and filmmaker has crossed the globe, diving in what she calls ‘the veins of mother earth’.

Along the way, she’s dived deeper into the planet than any woman in history and been to some extraordinary places. She’s dived caves underneath the remote Ural Mountains of Siberia, tickled the bellies of manatees near the Gulf of Mexico and explored sacred desert springs in Africa.

Three divers swim through the water-filled passages that wind their way below the island of Bermuda. Photo: Jill Heinerth

In 2000 she was involved in one of her most ambitious projects — to dive inside a giant iceberg.

“It was the largest moving object on the planet,” she recalls. “It was called B-15 and the size of this iceberg was so enormous that it had enough fresh water locked within the ice to fuel America’s drinking water needs for two years! It was absolutely incredible — and also probably the most dangerous diving I’ve ever been involved with.”

During the two-month expedition, Heinerth, 47, made repeated dives into the belly of the iceberg using ‘rebreather’ equipment, which recycles exhaled gas and adds oxygen, similar to what astronauts use in space. It allows divers to stay down for very long periods of time. “Our job was to intercept B-15 and be the first people to dive inside an iceberg and really see the full mechanics of how they work.” “It was exceptionally dangerous,” she adds.

“It’s a very dynamic environment, shifting and changing constantly and we encountered a lot of hazardous situations such as unusual currents. In one case we were swept through an iceberg and deposited on the other side, out of sight of our recovery crew on the research ship. Ascending against a tidal shift, we almost didn’t get out another time, and the culmination of the expedition occurred when the cave we had just been diving in minutes before literally exploded and shattered into a field of icy shards.” “It was incredibly grueling,” she adds. “But also amazing. We photographed eco-systems that had never been seen before and secured DNA samples of a new species of killer whale.”

“We take it for granted that nice clean water comes out of a tap but we can no longer do so” says Heinerth.

Twelve years on, the underwater explorer is embarking on her most ambitious project to date — she’s launching We Are Water, a campaign to make people think about where their drinking water comes from and do more to protect their most precious resource.

The Canadian explorer is making a documentary film that takes viewers on a breathtaking journey through the Earth’s arteries, from deep underwater caves to North America’s Great Lakes — and some more unlikely locations. “I swim under your homes, your businesses, golf courses, bowling alleys — all kinds of places where people don’t imagine their drinking water is flowing,” says Heinerth. “The film entices viewers with the natural beauty of our watery world, challenging them to make simple changes to protect and preserve the earth’s clean water,” she adds.

The film also looks at humanity’s traditional spiritual connection to water, from modern baptisms to its significance in ancient mythology.

“Every time I slip beneath the surface, I feel a spiritual connection to the earth and a deep reverence for water. I realize that I am swimming through the very essence of the planet.”

One of Heinerth’s favorite diving experiences is to swim with manatees near the home she shares with her husband Robert in Florida. “They are very playful, curious animals that enjoy interacting with humans. They’ll nudge you and push your hand underneath their little flippers where they can’t reach and seem to want to be scratched. They’re just the most amazing animals you could imagine. ”

Heinerth grew up in Canada and wanted to be a diver ever since she watched the famous late underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau on TV as a kid. “I’ve always loved water but as a child I was sometimes prevented from getting in and swimming because of local pollution.” As a result, she’s always been passionate about environmental action. Her life-long advocacy for water, through photography and film work, was recently recognized with the prestigious “Wyland Icon Award,” an honour she shares with Cousteau.

Jill Heinerth examines an estuary where an algae bloom has choked out the natural vegetation. Photo: Wes Skiles

“More recently, living in America, I’ve seen a decline in the Florida Springs systems. Things are not the same as when I started diving. Some places are better but a lot are worse. People don’t intentionally pollute, they just don’t realise how their actions affect their fresh water resources. I think I can be that voice from inside the planet — letting them know how they’re connected and how to do a better job.”

On the We Are Water website users can learn about how they can minimise their water consumption and discover why the world’s natural water resources are depleting.

“One of the most important things that I want to encourage is to simply take a child to a river, a lake, a spring, or the ocean. Reconnect yourself and your family with water. Enjoy it, dive it, swim it, paddle it, experience it because when you love it, you’ll want to protect it.”

“This project is the most important thing I’ve done in my life,” Heinerth adds.

“Water is the most important thing in everyone’s life.”

The documentary is scheduled for release in November 2012. Heinerth is issuing a call to arms for people to pledge their support via donations or purchasing the We Are Water T-shirt. A donation button is available on the top of the We Are Water homepage or you can select this image to purchase a T-shirt.

“We’re still hoping to have the film completed for the end of November, though we have had a few weather set backs with a Tropical Storm that flooded our area and cancelled two weeks of filming this summer. All part of the story I suppose!” shared Jill.

There are plans for an interesting distribution tour of the film in Canada next summer. We are riding bicycles over 7500km from coast to coast to present the film to large and small audiences and do a PR tour carrying the We Are Water message with a minimal carbon footprint!

Ocean Guardians is looking forward to catching up with Jill in Sydney, March 2013 at Oztek where Jill will be making a presentation of We Are Water.

About the We Are Water Project

For the first time in history, fresh water has become a finite resource. Many experts agree that, without significant changes in water policy, wars of the 21st century may be fought, not over oil, but for control of clean water. We Are Water is an imaginative, entertaining, and enlightening documentary, illustrating the fragile relationship between our planet’s endangered fresh water resources, and the ever increasing needs of our expanding population.

Featuring the breathtaking underwater videography of extreme explorer and technical diver, Jill Heinerth, We Are Water takes viewers right into the heart of the planet, swimming through the underground arteries that are the source of all life on earth. From deep underwater caves to the bountiful Great Lakes of her ancestral home, Jill shares her fantastic expeditions on, above, and inside the planet.

We Are Water balances narrative documentary with adventure filmmaking. While educating the audience about how each of us is intertwined with our local water supplies, this film provides a glimpse at Jill’s remarkable life from a shy, young Canadian graphic artist, to the top female technical diver in the world. With an extraordinary spirit of discovery, Jill’s compelling message is to educate, inform and inspire audiences to be better caretakers of the each other, and the planet.

“People protect what they love.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

A swimmer celebrates the cool clear water of a Florida spring. Photo: Jill Heinerth

The film entices viewers with the natural beauty of our watery world, challenging them to make simple changes to protect and preserve the earth’s clean water.

With segments exploring our spiritual connection to water, from ancient mythology to today’s full immersion baptisms, We Are Water reveals the significant role water has played in human culture through the ages.

Beginning with a Mother’s water breaking at the birth of a child, this project celebrates our intimate relationship with water. From children joyfully diving from a concrete jetty, to a refreshing sip of ice cold water on a hot summer day, audiences learn how water nourishes and replenishes our bodies, minds and spirits.

The Earth embraces me and I get to share, through my photographs and films, a breathtaking world few people will ever experience for themselves. As a kindergarten kid who loved “show and tell,” I realize that I never stopped doing that, even 40 years down the road.

About the Filmmakers

Jill Heinerth is an underwater explorer, filmmaker and presenter. Diving deeper into caves than any woman in history, Jill is known as an industry expert in the use of closed-circuit rebreathers.

An award-winning filmmaker, her accolades include being named a “Living Legend” by Sport Diver Magazine, induction into the exclusive New York Explorer’s Club and the inaugural class of the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame, as well as scores of photography and filmmaking awards.

Robert McClellan is a writer, photographer and new media expert. He combines a lifetime of creative dexterity into a contemporary skill set that seamlessly compliments Jill’s efforts.

An early adopter of podcasting, blogging, and other online communication tools, Robert has a number of professional Internet broadcasts and weblogs to his credit.

He wrote, produced and appears in the award-winning documentary “Real Sobriety.” Robert’s background includes stints as a Navy Seabee combat photographer, a rock and roll production manager, and a prison nurse.

He is currently writing his first full length book, “Boom Baby Boom,” and has a drawer full of film treatments and screenplays.

Robert and Jill live a very happily hectic married life in north Florida, with frequent sanity breaks on their small houseboat on the Humber River in Toronto, Canada.

]]>http://oceanguardians.com.au/we-are-water-jill-heinerth/feed/0The Importance of UW Photography ~ Jim Doddhttp://oceanguardians.com.au/importance-of-uw-photography-jim-dodd/
http://oceanguardians.com.au/importance-of-uw-photography-jim-dodd/#commentsTue, 28 Aug 2012 00:55:12 +0000http://www.og.dev/?p=155Jim Dodd is passionate about underwater photography and the Oceans. Jim shares his thoughts on the importance of UW Photography in creating awareness and inspiring empathy for our fragile marine environment through the admiration of its beauty.

How can UW Photography raise awareness?

In today’s world it is much easier to raise awareness with photography than in year’s gone bye and you don’t need to be a professional photographer either. All you need is passion and a digital camera.

Take the image that you think people need to see, an image that tells a story, something that the rest of your country or the entire world should know about. Remember a photo tells a thousand words and a video can tell even more. So get out there and take those photos/videos, and get them ready the show the world.

If you don’t think your images are good enough, show them to some friends and family who will be honest to you. It doesn’t always need to be the best “quality” photo or video to make an impact, it is the subject that counts as well. Anyway practice makes perfect, so get out there and practice, practice, practice. Maybe even do a short course.

For ease and to save repeating myself I will use the word “image” instead of “photo/video” for this article.

Playful seal at Rye Pier on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria Australia. This image was used as identification and an update on the seals health. It was regularly checked for the cut around its neck by discarded fishing line.

You’ve got the image now what?

With the world in a social network revolution, this must surely be the way to go. There are many to chose from with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Google+, You Tube and Vimeo to name a few. By using the many forms of social networking all you need to do is to post your image. Now whenever family and friends log on, they will get a notification in their news feeds that you have posted an image. The more friends that you have the more people you can reach.

Jim sharing his images at the Festival of the Sea, Nelson Bay Australia.

If you’re using Facebook for example, you are limited to 5000 friends/page likes with a personal profile. Yes this is a lot but if you really want to tell the world, you can create a page which has no limits to how many people can “like” it. Some celebrities have over 1 million people “like” their page. So what are you waiting for, see what your friends and family are doing and join them. Show them the person that YOU want to be. Remember if everyone does a little bit then lots of things can be done, so do YOUR little bit, become an Ocean Guardian and help us all save our blue oceans planet. I’m saving our oceans what are you doing??? OG:Check out Jim’s facebook page www.facebook.com/uwphotography and his website www.uwphotography.com.au

When do you think divers should pick up a camera?

In my experience’s working as a dive master, I have noticed a huge improvement in new divers after buying a camera and taking it diving. Some of those improvements are diver comfort, confidence and buoyancy control. It not only takes their mind off being nervous and the thought of breathing underwater but it makes them improve their buoyancy control to enable them to take better photos. Also on the improve is their air consumption allowing them to do longer dives and therefore they gain extra confidence as they get invited to dive with more experienced divers on photography dives. To gain even more experience a new diver can do advanced diver course and even an underwater photography course to help them improve both diving and photography skills.

Pick up a camera as soon as you can, it doesn’t matter what level diver you are or how many dives you have done. Start posting your pic’s on the social networks to help raise awareness amongst the MILLIONS of people who don’t dive

There are many good camera and housing packages around now for reasonable prices ($500 – $1000). Learn to use the camera properly and your photography will improve tenfold. The same is applied if your choice is video. One of the most popular video cameras at the moment is the small but full 1080p HD Go Pro camera, which can be yours for under $500 with the waterproof housing.

Divers in the surface cage enjoying a 5-ish metre female Great White Shark at the Neptune Islands, South Australia with Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions. www.rodneyfox.com.au

What about non divers (free divers and snorkelers)?

If you’re a Freediver/snorkeler and you are interested, then do the same “get out and get a camera ASAP”. I have seen some fantastic images taken by people freediving/snorkelling. The same theory applies here as to the scuba divers “ the sooner you start making images the sooner you can share them with the world” and raise awareness.

I recently watched a video taken by a snorkeler, where he would dive down to place the camera on the bottom then return to the surface. When he was ready he would dive back down and pick up the camera. By doing it this way the marine life would continue to behave in their natural way, without feeling threatened.

Do you have to be an award winning photographer to help raise awareness?

This Egg Cowrie was approx 25mm long. It is found in the cauliflower sponge gardens at The Pipline, Nelson Bay Australia.

No not at all. Don’t be afraid that you’re not good enough to make a difference. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to raise awareness. You don’t even need to be an award winning photographer. All you need to be able to do is take a clear image. If the image is in focus then it can make a difference.

Besides celebrating photographers skill and accomplishments what are the benefits to the plight to saving our oceans with uw photo competitions?

Underwater photography competitions are not only good fun to participate in, but they improve your skills as you make an extra effort to make better images. You are able to bounce ideas off other like minded people and get tips from the more experienced people in the competition. Don’t be scared away from them, like I said they are great fun, you meet lots of new like minded friends and there are many categories for different types of cameras and experience levels. You will learn a lot from entering an underwater photo comp.

Another benefit is that with all of the images taken in the same area there is a huge range of sea creature images and behaviours recorded. This can give biologist as fantastic snap shot of what is in the area at what time of the year. You might for argument sake take a photo of a Grey Nurse Shark in an area where they have never been recorded before or in numbers never seen before. You might get a video of a shark mating in an area where scientist didn’t know they occurred. This information is just as important inside a Marine Park as it is outside. You never know your image could make the difference between having an area protected or not protected. Now wouldn’t that make you feel all soft and gooey inside?

Last but not least the organisers of the photo comp will publish the results in diving mags and on websites. Therefore raising the awareness of what is underwater in a particular area which also shows the world what this area has to lose if we don’t protect it.

The big beautiful logger head turtle posed for the many divers diving with Sundive in Byron Bay for the annual Sundive Photo Shootout. www.sundive.com.au

What are the benefits of sharing the good and beauty of the oceans?

Share the good with the world, show everyone your images of the beautiful coloured fish, the Reef Shark, the Bull, Tiger or Great White Shark. Share with the world photos of you in front a breaching whale. Share with the world all of the beautiful coast line images with seals or sea birds on the rocks or flying above and dive bombing into the water. This can change a persons perception of such things like “dangerous” sharks and cause a greater appreciation, love and respect for all animal in the oceans and therefore increases the empathy for people to want to help save our oceans.

What are the benefits of sharing the bad:showing people the damage being done in full colour. Animals injured by human waste and carelessness?

Green Moray Eel awaits a certain death with a Gang hook (3 hooks joined together) lodged in its throat. Located in the shallows at a popular fishing spot.

Share again and again. Share the bad and the ugly now. Share images of the plastic bags on the beach or in the water. Share images of fish and sharks with fishing hooks and line in their mouths. Share the image of the seal with a Frisbee or fishing line caught around its neck. Share the image of the ray that was caught and has been gutted just so the fisherman can get his hook back. Share the image of the dead fish that was thrown back because it wasn’t what the fisherman was targeting.

Unfortunately it is usually the bad/ugly/shocking images that will make a difference and inspire other like minded people to join your fight, our fight to save the worlds oceans so our grandchildren and their grandchildren can enjoy the big blue wonderlands as we do today. I hope my grand kids can get more enjoyment out of it than I do.

What is the importance of images for Non divers?

It is very important for non divers to see the images that we take. Whether it’s an image of a shark swimming next to you in all its beauty, or dead on the bottom with a cut running from its mouth down to its gut so someone could get their hook and wire trace back, or with a rope tied around its tail, or even with no fins at all. Non divers will never see this for themselves, so it is our job to make sure they do. If non divers don’t know about it, then they can’t care about it.

If you’re a scuba diver, Freediver, or snorkeler who loves the ocean and our water ways with a passion to protect it. PLEASE take as many images as you can so the non divers of the world can see why we want to save it. Its up to you to do as much as you can to share with everyone you know the beauty of life below the waves.

A 2 – 2.5m GNS with a thick wire trace dragging out from the corner of her mouth. This shark has been here for about 6 months now and was once fit and healthy, but is now quite skinny. Its very sad that such a beautiful creature will starve to death or die of infection caused by the hook probably in its stomach.

Etiquette while photographing?

Having a good etiquette while creating your images underwater is also very important.

You must have good buoyancy control. Do NOT lay down on top of the fragile bottom as you may break/damage the coral/sponge life etc and anything that lives on and in them. Look for somewhere to place a hand or even a finger to steady yourself while taking the image.

Finning or kicking is another important thing to be aware of. If you’re close to the bottom use a side kick or frog kick. The normal scissor kick style has a bad habit of stirring up the bottom and sending small fragile invertebrates sailing up into the water column. This kicking style is also very annoying to other uw photographers if you swim close by as it sends a lot of small particles into their photos. I know myself that its not always fun to dive with a mobile underwater cyclone as a buddy.

Etiquette while diving is not only important for the photographer but for all divers. Cherie was hovering behind this black coral tree so she would not disturb the ornate ghost pipefish allowing me time to capture this shot.

Never chase, harass, touch, pick up, move or corner marine life in order to get an image of them. The best images come from those who have patience and wait for the subject to become comfortable with them being there. Also on the harassment side of things. Don’t take a lot of images if using a flash. I’m sure that you don’t like being in a lot of photos where a bright flash is used.

You never know where your images might end up. Lady diver on the wreck of the Oakland smiling with a Wobbegong Shark taken by Jim Dodd now welcomes divers on the front window of Let’s Go Adventures in Nelson Bay. www.LetsGoAdventures.com.au

Please ALWAYS respect the marine life. No matter how cute the big turtle is you can’t cuddle it. It is a wild animal not your pet dog. Turtles have been known to drown after being harassed as they swim deeper to avoid the attention, then are unable to return to the surface for air to breath. So don’t try to ride it, rub its shell or feel its flipper. Never wake a sleeping animal either as they may startle and bite you or swim directly into you.